Month: October 2016

“For us, there are some links to the tradition, some links to everyday life in Tehran, but definitely the core of the work is how we see things today, and this specific theme of sacrifice in us, in all its layers.”

Zaafaran, a performance by Lebanese choreographer Omar Rajeh and Iranian dance company MaHa, was shown as a part of Moving in November -festival at Kiasma Theatre. Rajeh has worked in Beirut with his own company Maqamat since 2002 and has influenced widely the development of contemporary dance in Lebanon and its surroundings.

Janina Rajakangas and Tuomas Laitinen are discussing with Omar Rajeh and the dancers Mitra Ziaee Kia and Mostafa Shabkhan from MaHa Group.

“Here you don’t hurt yourself or your friend, and I feel that Concerto under Waterlilies is therefore a possibility to get out of loneliness.”

Concerto under Waterlilies by choreograph Elina Pirinen and dramaturg Heidi Väätänen premiered in Kiasma Theater on September 30th 2016. It is based on the Piano Concerto no. 2 by Sergei Rahmaninov and is an independent sequel to Personal Symphonic Moment, which premiered in 2013. Discussion with Elina Pirinen by Janina Rajakangas and Tuomas Laitinen.